


It's alright, it's okay

by ZeroSum404 (sensalito)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-17
Updated: 2013-03-17
Packaged: 2017-12-05 15:15:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/724730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sensalito/pseuds/ZeroSum404
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>a-rightway-and-a-kenwayasked on Tumblr asked me: "Could you write a sterek fic where Stiles starts going crazy because all the supernatural stuff and Derek takes care of him? :)"</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's alright, it's okay

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on my Tumblr at hoechlinswife.tumblr.com
> 
> I do not have a beta so if you find mistakes of any kind, point them out to me please! Thank you :)

It’s tough running with wolves. It’s even tougher when you’re confronted with the harsh reality that werewolves aren’t the only supernatural creatures bumping through the night.

It’s not even something Stiles ever imagined himself doing, being in a pack of werewolves; but helping said pack protecting the blissfully unaware human population of Beacon Hills by killing other werewolves and the likes? Let’s just say, that kind of activities doesn’t just take a toll on you physically.

So when, suddenly, Slender Man turns out to be very very real? Well, Stiles takes a plunge for the worst.

When he was a child, he used to be terrified of it. He would shake and cry for hours into the night, unable to close his eyes without seeing, painted on his eyelids, a long form extending its creepy fingers towards him. His parents would do all sorts of things to make him feel safer, help him fall asleep faster: a hot cup of honeyed milk, his father and him checking all the doors and windows were locked tight together, having a night light on all through the night,… Nothing ever worked.

His mom once told him it started around his fourth birthday, perhaps a little later: he came back from a birthday party claiming to have seen something in the forest, the form of a very tall man barely hidden behind a tree. After that, and up until he was 9, some nights were hell for the Stilinski family. Then his mother got sick and his nightly fear became irrelevant compared to the anxiety rolling low in his stomach each time his mom couldn’t finish a meal or was too tired to climb up the stairs to kiss him goodnight.   But now, now his night terrors came back with a vengeance the likes of which left him with dark bruises under his eyes and shaking hands in the morning. And for all that he had battled more than his fair share of creatures, he felt helpless faced with his childhood fear.

* * *

Derek didn’t realize immediately something was wrong with Stiles; the brazen kid hid his problems surprisingly well for all he was surrounded by werewolves practically 24/7. He was smart and loud and fierce, refused to back down even though it was in his own interest to. So, no, Derek didn’t realize immediately. But he did anyway.

He was running, making rounds to make sure everyone was alright, when he heard it: a quiet, shaky sigh, shifting bed springs and rustling covers, irregular breathing. Normally, he would put all that down to some…alone time but the smell accompanying all these was unmistakable: cold sweat and fear mixed with exhaustion.

He didn’t really think, just ran the last few meters separating him and Stiles’ house, and going with the motion he jumped to the roof, knocking on the window quickly. The muffled whimper and sob-like sound following almost made him break the lock and force the window open but he decided against it after a second, calling out Stiles’ name instead.

A thump followed quickly after, and the window opened. He slipped through the gap and stilled, crouched close to the floor. The light from outside illuminated part of Stiles’ face and what Derek saw made him worry: tear tracks down pale cheeks, drooping eyelids and bruised eyes.

“What is it? Are you in danger? Did someone threatened you? Your father?” Stiles shook his head, rubbing his arm. “Come on, you need to talk to me, I can’t help you if you don’t.”

“It’s stupid”, Stiles whispered. “You can’t do anything anyway.”

“Try me, you never know.” Derek pushed, it was clear Stiles was distressed, and for all that he wasn’t Scott, they still were friends. Stiles looked reluctant and Derek was prepared for a new rebut when Stiles began to talk. He explained about when he was little and how what was happening wasn’t as easy to deal with as he first thought, how he didn’t know what to do and how he felt a bit like he was standing at the edge of a precipice.

Derek wasn’t sure what to do: it’d been a while since he had to deal with another being’s feelings but… Fear he knew well, all too well. So, he led Stiles to the bed and lay down with him.

“I’ll protect you. I’ll keep you safe. You can sleep now, just let go.” He murmured in Stiles’ nape, again and again. “It’s alright, nothing will happen to you. Noone will hurt you. I wont let them.” It was soothing even for him, in a way, holding Stiles close to him that way. “It’s okay, I got you.” And he did, he realized. He got Stiles. It was okay. “You’re not alone anymore.” They weren’t. Neither of them. They had one another, no matter what, they wouldn’t lose the other. Not now, not ever, not after everything they went through.

* * *

Stiles felt more than heard the words Derek uttered in his neck, but the rough, low voice did a lot in the way of lulling him to sleep. The arms around him helped also a lot though, but he was too tired to dwell on why exactly that is. Tomorrow, maybe, but not tonight. Tonight he’d let himself have this, without questioning: he deserved to feel safe, after all he did on a regular basis for the rest of the city, he deserved a good night sleep and comfort.

And so he fell asleep, his heart warm, his body relaxed, surrounded by the smell of home. If that smell was the laundry detergent or Derek’s, he didn’t know though. Nor did he care or mind either way.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos much appreciated.
> 
> I take prompts over at my Tumblr: hoechlinswife.tumblr.com


End file.
